Newly minted “Jeopardy!” host Mike Richards is out just nine days after being tapped to succeed Alex Trebek, Variety reported on Friday.
The move came after details about his past conduct and statements he made on an eight-year-old podcast series were made public. He will remain the show’s executive producer, according to Variety.
Sony Pictures TV confirmed that Richards had agreed to step aside as host. In a statement, Richards said the backlash had created “too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show.”
The move comes a day after the Anti-Defamation League called for an investigation after a report in The Ringer said that Richards made disparaging remarks about Jews, women and other groups in episodes of the comedy podcast “The Randumb Show” recorded in 2013 and 2014.
“We support Mike’s decision to step down as host,” Sony Pictures TV said. “We were surprised this week to learn of Mike’s 2013/2014 podcast and the offensive language he used in the past. We have spoken with him about our concerns and our expectations moving forward.”
On August 11, as Richards was named the permanent host of “Jeopardy!”, the show also announced its first ever Jewish host, stating that actress Mayim Bialik will host some of the game show’s new prime time specials.
(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)